Mattress and cushion



Jan. 29, 1929. 1,700,339

L. A. SUEKOFF MATTRESS AND CUSHION Filed June 9, 1926 Ill/IA PatentedJan. 29, 1929. I

UNITED STATES (PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS A. SUEKOFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED A.NACH- MAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MATTRESS AND CUSHION.

Application filed June 9,

This invention relates to improvements in mattresses and cushions of thespring-filled type. and to methods of making the same, the objectsof theinvention being to provide a product of the type aforesaid which ischeap, durable and efiicient and capable ofvbeing produced with aminimum hand labor and with unskilled hand labor and to provide a methodof producing the same which is rapid and cheap and which eliminateswaste of materials. I

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereinFig. 1 is a perspective view of a mattress or cushion constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary plan view of an inner face of atop orbottom wall of the mattress. v

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrative of the method of making thewalls of the mattress or cushion.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan view of a portion of themechanism of Fig. 4.

The invention consists essentially in producing finished padded wallsfor mattresses and cushions which said walls are equipped with'means forengaging springs therewith to retain said walls yieldingly in spacedrelation to each other and, at the same time, retaining the said springsin spaced relation to each other.

To this end I first produce what may be termed quilts the outer exposedsurfaces or walls of which, when incorporated in the structure, arecomposed of the ticking or other desired textile fabric while theirinner walls are composed of a cheap fabric or fabrics suitable to theneeds of the finished structure, a pair of said quilts being disposed inopposed relation to each other and joined by means of interposed springsinwardly of their peripheral edge portions while the latter are joinedto form the peripheral walls of the mattress or cushion.-

The mattress or cushion comprises the padded top and bottom walls eachof which consists of another wall 1 or textile fabric such as ticking, alayer 2 of padding material, such as cotton,'a second wall 3 of textilefabric underlying the padding material, and means mounted upon the wall3 for engaging the ends of coiled springs 4. 1 In the instance illustrated the said means consist in a third wall HEISSUED 5 of fabricstitched to the wall 3 by means of intersecting lines 6 of stitchingrelatively arranged to provide substantially square pockets between thefabrics 3 and 5. The latter is cut preferably diagonally of the saidsquare pockets to provide slits 7 through which the ends of the springs4 are inserted into the said pockets.

It will be understood, of course, that other means or devices forengaging the said ends of the springs 4 may be substituted for thefabric 5, the latter and the lines of stitching 6 and slits 7 beingmerely exemplary of but constituting the preferred means foraccomplishing my purpose.

' The peripheral edge portions of the quilts formed by the padding 2 andfabrics l and 3, are preferably finished by stitching in any well-knownmanner and are subsequently secured together by stitching or otherwellknown means, it being merely a matter of choice on the part of themanufacturer to finish the peripheral walls of the structure asillustrated or to vary therefrom.

The ends of the springs 4 are substantially circular and fiat, that isto say, the wire forms a circular loop which is not at all or onlyslightly helical. Said loops are easily contractible to permit them tobe sprung into the pockets between the fabrics 3 and 5 through the slits7. When said ends are engaged in said pockets it is quite impossible forthem to be released or freed therefrom except by the manual operation ofagain contracting the said end loops and withdrawing them through theslits 7.

The employment of the slitted fabric 5 is preferred over other means forengaging the ends of the springs 4 because said fabric 5 can be securedto the fabric 3 and the latter, and the fabric 1 and padding 2, allsecured together by the lines of stitching 6 which pass through all ofsaid elements. The padding 2 is thus held against displacement far moreefliciently than by means of the usual tufting and, furthermore, at farless expense.

The quilts may be very efliciently, quickly and cheaply made in themanner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. A machine for (producing the layer2 of padding is diagrammatically represented by a pair of rolls 8 whichfeed the padding continuously upon the table 9 of the gang-needle sewingmachine 10.

A roll 11 of ticking, for example, s arranged above the table and thetlckmg l 1926. Serial No. 114,599.

passed under the roll 12. A roll 13 of bottom fabric is arranged belowthe table and the fabric 3 passed over a roll 14 projecting into atransverse slot in the table 9 A roll 15 of fabric, such as burlap, isarranged below the roll 13 and the fabric 5 passed over a roll' 16having its upper portion disposed approximately fiush with thetop of thetable 9. A pair of tension feed rolls 17 is arranged back of the sewingmachine 10 for drawing the fabrics 1, 3 and 5 and the padding 2 at therequisite speed through the machine 10, the latter producing thelongitudinal lines of stitching 6.

Between the rolls 15 and 16 there is provided a high-speed shaft 18extending at an angle of forty-five degrees to the direction of travelof the fabrics and padding. This shaft carries the cutting disks 19 andis given an up and down reciprocatory movement by means, for example, ofbell-crank levers 20 which carry the bearings for said shaft 18 andwhich may be suitably associated with the rolls 17 by means of a cam 21,to effect upward movements of said shaft and the cutting of slits 7 inthe fabric 5 at proper intervals. The fabric 5 is thus slitted before itis stitched to the fabric 3.

By giving the threads of the end needles of the gang of the machine 10far higher tension than the threads forming the intermediate lines ofstitching, the peripheral edge portions of the quilting can be renderedquite thin and said edge portions may be nicely finished by suitablemanipulation of the side edge portions of the fabric in advance of theneedles of the machine 10.

It will be appreciated that any mechanic skilled in the sewing machineart may supply the details of the mechanism which are omitted fromillustration herein.

The quilting delivered from the machine 10 is suitably cut into desiredlengths and the latter then passed transversely of the direction oftravel through the machine 10, through another similar gang-needlesewing machine for incorporating the transverse lines of stitching inproper relation to the slits 7 of the fabric 5.

The springs 4; are then associated with a pair of opposed quilts bymanual operation mousse easily and quickly efiected by unskilled laborand the peripheral edge portions of said quilts then properly overlappedand stitched together by a sewing machine.

Preferably these edges at one side or end of the mattress or cushion areleft detached from each other and equipped with fastening devices 22,such as glove-fasteners, for example, so that the mattress maybe openedup for cleansing internally by means of a vacuum cleaner, the hose ofwhich may be easily passed between adjacent rows of springs a.

By means of the foregoing method if eliminate several operationsnecessary to the production of spring-filled mattresses as heretoforepracticed. That practice has been to first produce the spring assemblyconsisting of the fabric housing for the springs. This housing with itssprings is then covered on all sides with the padding and a mattresscover then drawn over the padded assembly. The open end of the cover isthen closed by stitching or otherwise and thereupon the structure istufted by hand, highly skilled and expensive labor being required forthese operations.

The cutting disk mechanism of the machine herein diagrammaticallyillustrated, may, together with the sewing machine, in so far as thesemechanisms.cooperate to secure the fabric 3 the means or devices forattaching the springs t to the opposed faces or walls of the quiltsforming the top and bottom walls of the mattress or cushion be regardedas the means or mechanism for securing to said fabric 3 any sort ofdevices for attaching the springs thereto, the invention being not lim:ited to the particular means herein shown and described.

I claim as myinvention The method of making. mattresses and cushions ofthe spring filled type which consists in first making padded quiltsadapted to form the walls of a structure and simultaneously with theconstruction of said quiltsattaching thereto means for detachablyengaging the same with the ends of the springs, and thereafter attachingsaid quilts to said springs.

LOUIS A. SUEKOFF.

